The Eve of All-Hallows; Or, Adelaide of Tyrconnel, v. 3 of 3Hartstonge, Matthew Weld
General
The Eve of All-Hallows; Or, Adelaide of Tyrconnel, v. 3 of 3
Hartstonge, Matthew Weld
Fiction
O'er him, the fond, the gen'rous youth,
O'er her who gave her plighted truth--
On both may bliss each treasure shed,
While children crown the bridal bed
Of noble Bruce and Adelaide!
And oh! until their final hour,
May friendship cheer, and love have pow'r
To spread each charm amid their bow'r,
And bless the Bruce and Adelaide!
Here ceased the old sightless Cormac, while tears of deep and intense
feeling and affection trickled down his venerable, time-furrowed
cheeks.
Adelaide descended from her chamber, and entering the garden, with
great sweetness and condescension approached the old minstrel: "Thanks,
many thanks, my kind and ancient bard, for this thy matin lay; and here
too is a boon withal for the minstrel."--At the same time placing a
gold doubloon in his hand.
"Oh, receive my warm, grateful thanks, my dear, kind--my noble young
mistress--_Cead millia failtha_! May the benison of the sightless bard
bless you and yours for ever and ever! Indeed I dare not refuse the
bridal present, for it carries luck and happiness, and every thing that
is kind, and noble, and good, along with it. God bless you, young lady,
and may you be as happy as you deserve; this, young lady, is the warm
and fervent prayer of poor blind old Cormac!"
The Lady Adelaide felt much affected with the respect and affection
manifested by the ancient minstrel, and once more thanking him for his
verses, adjourned to the breakfast-room. While on her way she was met
by Sir David Bruce at the garden door, and according to the fashion
and reserve of that day, he ceremoniously led by the hand his lovely
mistress. They now entered the breakfast parlour, where they found the
duke with the family assembled, to whom they kindly bade good morrow.
The worthy and venerable Bishop Bonhomme and his lady had arrived,
as also the bride's-maids, and the whole of the company who had been
invited to the wedding. And the bridal breakfast having begun and
ended, the splendid equipages of the noble party were ordered to
approach the grand porch of the castle. And here that our fair readers
may not "burst in ignorance" of the mode and manner in which a marriage
in high life was conducted in those times by the _gens de condition_,
we shall endeavour to give a report, albeit not copied _verbatim_ from
the court gazette of the day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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